Ants in my pants ehr, boat??
 

Hi all,

Most bizarre, our boat is tied up at our dock and I noticed that I get a lot of ants (small black ones) running all around the deck, under the carpet, etc. Other than being gross, I think they are harmless. We don't eat or drink on-board and so there's no sugary snacks for them. Happened last year too (boat was brand new back then and I thought perhaps the guys that prepped the boat dropped some donuts or something.) A little Fantastik (had that handy at the time) stopped them right in their tracks. Then a little bug spray and ant traps and haven't seen them, well since now. I guess I need to do the same routine, but any thoughts as to why they like my boat so much?

I don't know why they like the boat so much...perhaps because it's an easy water source?? We had the same problem and couldn't figure out how the suckers got on the boat. Watched them crawl straight up the dock post across the rope and onto the boat... ALL ABOARD!!! :laugh:

Upon uncovering the boat this Spring, we found a small (but still scary!) pile of insect saw dust. We also found lots of ants! Over the Winter, they had somehow gotten past the surface coat of fiberglass on the inside of the transom, and have managed to creata couple of dents (thankfully not holes).

Needless to say, ant traps will be part of Winterization from now on!

Small crew / repelling boarders
 

Ant colonies start when a queen and drone find a comfie spot after leaving the parent nest. At this stage they have wings but once settled in they never leave the new location. If they squat on your boat you will have passengers until the queen dies and the colony expires.

Ant traps arent really traps, just bait stations. You can also get the liquid and squirt it in the odd spots or on a piece of tape. The granules that you spread on grass will work for years in an indoor environment. You will need to be swept or vacuumed before using the boat or allowing kids back on the boat though.

That's most of what I know about ants and getting rid of them.

Good luck!

spray your lines
 

we had this problem last year and we sprayed the posts and lines with ant spray. it worked.

Ants
 

We had the same trouble and found a old roll of paper towels had been left in the side pocket and the ants made a home in it. I think they may be drawn to damp areas so the inside of a covered boat draws them.

RAID!

I've watched them crawl right up the extension cord I use to charge my bass boat trolling motor batteries. I had a serious problem last year. I disconnect the cord when charging is completed and I have not had a problem since.